Eve
by Kelly22
Summary: Belated Christmas Fic. Lois and Clark friendship fic, but hints of something more


**Spoilers: **Through Hydro? Kinda AU after that Season Six, but not all that spoilery  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** Lois, Clark, Smallville, Superman, blah blah blah NOT MINE

**EVE**

"It's going to be okay."

Clark looked up at the sound of her voice and all he could think was NO, quickly followed by WHY.

Whatever her intentions, whatever her reasons, she was unwelcome. Clark did not want to see anyone this evening, let alone a woman who proudly proclaimed herself the bane of his existence.

"It's going to be okay," Lois repeated. She stood at the top of the loft stairs, the overhead light creating a halo around her. An angel in a hoodie sweatshirt. A savior in sneakers.

For a moment he met her gaze and even with superpowers he couldn't make out the mystery in her eyes. A million unanswered questions, a million secrets to unravel. But then, he had never been very good at reading her. Or anyone else for that matter.

That thought had him turning back to the window, away from her. He glanced up at the stars. More questions, more secrets there.

Why was she here? More importantly, what would he have to say to make her leave?

Clark cleared his throat. "Lois, I don't know what you –"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." She sounded different tonight. Not hesitant, but certainly softer. Calm and confident, but missing the signature cockiness. Either way, he was in no mood.

He could tell by the slow footfalls against the old wooden floorboards, that she was closer now. He kept his back to her, praying that, for once, she would take the hint.

If the past year had taught him anything, it was that he was alone in the universe. And ironically, tonight, that's just what he wanted. That's all he wanted.

"Clark, it's going to be okay," she said. Maybe third time was the charm, because for a split second, for the first time in weeks, maybe months, he almost believed her. One flickering respite from the guilt, and the pain; than of course it all came rushing back.

"I'm fine," he said.

Clark could practically hear her eyes roll. The stars sparkled down at him, as if they too found his lie ridiculous. "Really, I'm fine."

"No, you're not." This was typically the time during these kind of talks, about two minutes in, where Lois lost her patience, where the veneer of concerned friend wore thin and the annoyance seeped through. But instead her words were barely more than a whisper.

She was even closer now, directly behind him. He could hear the gentle cadence of her breathing, automatically matching his own breaths to her rhythm.

"Of course you're not fine Clark. Of course you're not." She sighed and he felt the rush of hot air tickling the back of his neck. "It's Christmas Eve and your father is dead. And the woman you love is pregnant and engaged to a man who could quite possibly be the devil. And your mother is at a charity banquet with the devil's father. The one girl who's always been there for you is in Metropolis with her boyfriend. And you're angry and mourning and lonely and scared. You're all alone and you feel like you always will be and you're not fine."

Lois spoke in a gentle voice and yet he couldn't help but flinch; she was confirming everything he thought.

"I thought you said it was going to be okay." She was suddenly too close, so he leaned forward, bracing his hands on the windowsill.

"Exactly. It's _going_ to be okay," Lois clarified. "Right now it definitely sucks."

He didn't laugh; he was certainly in no mood. And yet, her bluntness lit a tiny spark in his belly, shocking him out of his state of abject misery.

"It completely sucks," she reiterated. "Lana, Lex, your parents, Chloe…all of that stuff is true, and yeah, it's a bummer." She paused for a second and Clark found himself holding his breath. Some small part of him was waiting, hoping, maybe even believing that Lois Lane was going to find a way to somehow make things right again. As if she could do something like that. As if anyone could soothe the constant ache of everything that had happened.

"It's a total bummer and I wish I had some magic words, something that would fix everything Clark. But I don't." She swallowed loudly. "But it will get better, eventually, and I know that you'll be okay in the end."

And then suddenly she was next to him, her long slender fingers tangling with his. For a moment neither one of them said a word. Her hand was soft and cool and seemed impossibly small compared to his own.

"How do you know?" he croaked out, much to his own surprise.

"Hmmm?" She continued to stare out the window.

"How do you know I'll be okay?"

She squeezed his hand. "Because I know you."

She couldn't have possibly been more wrong, but it was strange how much he suddenly wished she wasn't. In that moment, he desperately wanted Lois Lane to know him, really know, all of him.

He dropped her hand. "Look Lois, you don't –"

"I do know you Clark," she cut him off, grabbing for his hand again and yanking so that they faced each other. "I may not always – okay, I _never_ get you, but I do know you." She stared, unblinking, up at his face, the moonlight catching the shadow of her cheekbone, the curve of her eyebrow.

"I know you, and I know that no matter how much it sucks now, you will get through all of this. You are the strongest man I know and you might be bent over right now, under the weight of all this crap, but it's not gonna break you. You won't let it, I know that in my heart." Lois raised their joined hands and brought them to her chest. "You deserve happiness Smallville. You just gotta believe that."

After a beat she released her grip on his hand. They both turned back to the window, looking out at the starlit landscape before them.

He wondered what had inspired her to come here tonight. It was Christmas Eve, after all, surely she had better places to be. Some exotic island with Oliver Queen. Celebrating with Chloe and Jimmy. Visiting her father. He wondered why, then, she'd ended up hanging out in a barn trying to coax him out of his misery.

Most of all, he wondered how it had started to work.

Clark had no idea how long they stood there. Minutes. Hours. He was confident she was setting some personal record for most time spent in silence.

Finally Lois exhaled deeply. "You know, this isn't too bad."

"Hmmm?"

"The brooding up at the stars thing. It's not so bad."

"Yeah?" He felt the corners of his mouth turn up, almost involuntarily.

"I always pictured it as sort of a creepy, Hunchback of Notre Dame kinda deal. But this is nice. Sorta soothing."

"It has it's moments," he admitted in a teasing tone. Clark was shocked when he realized how light his words sounded. Ten minutes ago he'd been nearly overcome by the crushing state of his life. One Lois Lane later and he was engaging in witty banter?

"Don't get me wrong, I still find sitting on my comfortable couch catching up on Season 2 of The Office just as soothing." She shot him a toothy grin. "And also," she said, giving a small shiver and wrapping her arms around her body, "warmer."

He raised an eyebrow. "The Office?"

She grabbed his arm, leading him away from the window. "Jesus Clark, you live in Smallville, not under a rock. How is it you don't know about The Office? What am I gonna do with you?"

Clark shrugged.

"Well come on," she urged pulling him towards the stairs. "You are gonna love it," Lois promised as she began walking down the stairs backwards, never letting go of his arm, never letting her gaze waver from his face. "It's got everything! Awkward silences. Unrealized sexual tension. Star-crossed lovers…"

"Yeah I can never get enough star-crossed lovers," he mumbled as they walked out of the barn.

"Oh grow up Smallville," Lois admonished as she fished in her purse for her keys. "Jim and Pam are actually meant to be, unlike you and a certain person who shall remain nameless."

Clark waited the sting, for the hurt to rise up at her thoughtless remark. It never came, so after a beat he decided to move on.

"Jim and Pam?" he asked.

"Hmmm, where to start. Okay, so Pam's this receptionist at the office. And she's, like, engaged to this guy –"

"Jim?"

"No! She's engaged to this other guy, who is so clearly completely wrong for her – anyone can tell she's totally unhappy, she's always settling for things, she can't talk to him about anything. And there's this guy she works with –"

"Jim?"

"Now you're catching on Clark!" Lois exclaimed, patting him on the arm and unlocking the door on the passenger side for him. "So they are perfect for each other. They make each other laugh, they talk about Pam's feelings, they just…fit. They get each other." Clark stood next to her on the passenger side of the car and cleared his throat, holding his hand up. "And Jim won't really admit it at first," Lois continued, rolling her eyes but dropping the keys into his open palm and sliding into the car. "And Pam can't see it at all, but it's so obvious cause she totally hates everyone that Jim dates," she told him as he walked around the vehicle to the drivers side.

"Oh that's a huge giveaway," Clark commented, fastening his seatbelt and putting the key in the ignition.

"I know right! So there are like all these amazing moments where, I don't know, Pam will do something just to make Jim laugh, or they'll just be smiling at each other. Oh, and the Christmas episode, you're gonna love the Christmas episode, cause, hello, timely, but also cause Jim gets Pam this…"

Clark pulled out of the farm towards town and Lois kept up her excited introduction to the world of The Office. It definitely wasn't how he planned on spending Christmas Eve and it didn't sound very soothing – certainly not as soothing as brooding alone up in his loft.

But it didn't really matter, Clark concluded, casting a sideways glance at his companion, immersed in her completely one-sided conversation.

In her own way, Lois Lane could be pretty soothing too.

**The End**


End file.
